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Cityspeaking is the act through which an individual in tune with the city can "hear" its will and wishes. The way that this manifests varies wildly from speaker to speaker but it is generally accepted that at least some speakers are not simply crazy.

The City's will, however, is ever up to interpretation and many speakers can hear only the faintest whispers and focus on using their gift to guide their own lives or that of those around them, possibly for a fee. More powerful speakers work for the Houses, as celebrities, or for other powerful entities, ever seeking profound knowledge to take advantage of. At the highest level are the citygods themselves, thought to be utterly in tune with the City's will.

Divination

Cityspeakers tune in to the voice of the city utilizing a wildly varied range of methods. Usually one must make a distinct effort in preparing to perform a divination, but especially tuned individuals may be bombarded with visions or portents, whether or not they can understand or process them. Similarly, being in proximity to momentous events, especially powerful beings, or other remarkable things can cause this.

  • Emetomancy - The cityspeaker regurgitates over a prepared surface and then studies the results to gain knowledge.
  • Smokereading - The cityspeaker observes the play of lingering clouds of vapor, generally from pipes, hookahs, or other smoking devices of their personal choice
  • Deckreading - The cityspeaker uses the aptly named Cityspeaker's Deck to divine knowledge